Machine for folding towels



A(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

CHAMBERS, J1.v MACHINE PoR -lioLDINGf TOWBLS, NAYPKINS,Y&0. No. 297,673. Y Patented Apr. 29, 1884.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-'Sheet C. CHAMBERS, J1.

MAGINE FOR FOLDING TOWELS, NAPKINS, &o.

No. 297,673. Patented Apr. 29,1884.

l WxTNEssgs: l Z 'mVE-TOR" UNITED. STATES? PATENT OFFICE.

MACHINE FOR FOLDINGTOWELS, NAPKIN'S, aac.

.SPECIFICATION forming part'of Letters Patent No. 297,673, dated April 29, 1884.

, l Application filed March 3.1, 1883. (No modela :To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GYRUs OHAMBERs, J r. ,Y

. a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Folding Towels, Napkins, and Similar Articles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a plan or top view of my machine with the feed-table and conveying-tapes removed. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is atransverse section of the invention on the line a b, Fig. 1, with the feed-table in place. Fig. 3is a detail plan, enlarged, of one of the rotary brushes with its connections and adjustments. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line c d, Fig. 2, enlarged, the-brushwheel being broken off through the vertical middle thereof. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of one of the boxes in which the first pair of foldingrolls and brush-shafts are j ournaled, as hereinafter described.

Like letters of reference, where they occur in the several figures, mark corresponding or similar parts.

The purpose of this invention is to providev a power-machine-for smoothing out and folding articles from the laun dry-such as towels, napkins, &c.with convenience and dispatch.

I term the machine a laundry-folder.77 Y

Referring to the annexed drawings, A is a horizontal feed-table, upon which the articles to be folded/are laid, one at atime, by the.

operative, to a gage lengthwise over a longitudinal slot, S, in the table, so that the middle of the article will be in line with said slot. In this position it is struck through the latter into the bite of the rst pair` of folding-rolls, 1 2, beneath the table, by means of a blade, 1K, vibrating at regular intervals through the action of a cam, P, upon the cam-shaft K5, in

the ordinary manner with folding-machines. On its way to this pair of rolls the ends of the article are brought into Contact, respectively, with a pair of rapidly-revolving circular brushwheels, B, placed horizontally beneath the feed-table, and whose points of contact are in the vertical plane with those of the first pair of rolls, 1 2. These brushes separate and smooth out the end fringes of the towel, &c.,

should the article be provided with fringes. The second fold, which is also made lengthwise with the towel, &c., orparallel with the first fold, is given by thesecond pair' of rolls, 2 3. into the bite of which it is struck `just as it has about passed through the rst pair of rolls, by a blade, K, mounted upon a rockshaft, c. This blade is caused to vibrate by thefoperation of a cam, Q, upon the cam-shaft K5 and the compression-spring t on rod vV stop F, as mentioned, it will be in position to be immediately struck into the bite of rolls 4 and 5, and given a first transverse fold by the third folding-blade, K2, Fig. 1, which vibrates at set times, through the action of a cam or eccentric upon the cam-shaft, in the Ausual manner in folding-machines. The fourth. or final fold, which is parallel with the third, is effected by means of the vertical roll-pair 5 6. Therelation and function of rolls 4 5 6 correspond with those of the rolls 1 2 3. A fourth folding-blade (not seen yin any of the accompanying views) tucks the thrice-folded towel, 8vo., as it leaves the bite of rolls 4 5 into the bite of rolls 5 6, the location and operation of this blade with reference to rolls 5 6 being as is thatof the blade K to rolls 2 3. As the article passes-from between the last foldingrolls, 5 6, it is caught by a ily, O, and laid by it into a packing-trough, T, in the usual manner. y

The foregoing is a somewhatgencral description of the construction and operation of my invention.

I shall now proceed' tov explain the same in detail.

As the various laundered articles to be folded by the machine differ considerably in thickness, it is desirable to have a provision for the self-adj nstment of the folding-rolls to accommodate themselves to the different thicknesses. This is accomplished by journaling IOO the shafts of one of the rollers of each pair in sliding boxes, which are pressed against by spiral springs r. As this is a common expedient for a similar purpose in various machines having coacting rollers, I do not make any claim thereto, and further description of the same will be unnecessary.

The brush-wheels B, which smooth out the ends and fringes of the towels, &c., are operated by bevel-gears C C', one of which, C, is on the driving-shaft H, (see Fig. 4,) and the other, C, on the vertical shaft d of the brush-wheel. The boxes or bearings of the brushes,together with the boxes in which thebevel-wheels turn, are carried at the end of a sliding bracket, D, that is secured by a bolt, c, passing through a slot, f, in the bracket upon the ltop of the journal-boxes,in which the first pair of rollers, l 2, and also the shafts II, which drive the bcvel-wheels,respectively revolve. The latter shafts, H, are provided with a spline, p, Fig. 4., and the sleeve of the bevel-gear has a correspondinglongitudinal groovetherein. Thus by slacking up the bolt c the brackets D, which, as stated, carry the circular brushes and the driving-gears, may be adjusted longitudinally to increase or diminish the distance between the opposite pairs of brush-wheels to suit the lengths of the articles to be passed through the machine. The entire mechanism is driven from a eolie-pulley, M, on the shaft m of roll 5, which, by bevel-gears K, turns a shaft, Z, Fig. 27 which again, by a series of gears, drives the first and second pairs of folding rolls, the brush wheels, and the camshaft K5, from which all the folding-blades are actuated in the usual manner in folding-machines. An eccentric, N, on the cam-shaft operates the fiy C, which packs the folded articles in the trough T provided for their reception.

It will be seen by referring to Fig. 2, Sheet 2, that the front part of the frame of the machine extends out beyond thc main frame R in a manner that renders it convenient for the operator, sitting or standing, to place the articles to be folded in proper position upon the feed-table, and also to reach under the said forward extension of the frame when it may be necessary or desirable to take hold of the towel, &c., after it has gone through orispassing through the first pair of rolls, l 2. This is sometimes desirable when, owing to thclarge size of the article, it is required to cause two or more folds in succession to be given it by the said rolls, instead of but one, as before dcscribed. This is done as follows: lVhen the cloth has nearly passed from between these rolls I 2, the operative seizes hold of the same by extending his or her hand beneath the feedtable, and upon the article being freed from the rolls again places it, as once folded, upon the table A in suitable position over the slot therein, and it again receives another fold by the same rolls, and may then be permitted to pass on between the others of the series of rolls, as hereinbefore described.

The several folding-blades may be timed to operate at suitable intervals, according to the dimensions of the cloth, by adj usting their corresponding cams upon the cam-shaft in the usual manner.

l-Iaving thus described my invention, I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent- I. The combination, with the folding-rolls, of the lateral smoothing-brushes and the vibrating knife for tueking the article to bc folded into the bite of said rolls, substantially as and for the purpose stated.

2. The combination of the slotted feed-table, the first pair of folding-rolls, the folding-knife, and the lateral rotary smoothing-brushes, all combined, constructed, and operating substantially as described, and for the purposes specied.

3. The combination, with the slotted feedtable, of the trio of rolls l. 23, means, substantially as described, to rotatethe same, the first of two said rolls being in a horizontal plane, and the third in a vertical plane with the second of the trio, together with the respective folding-bladesforoperatingthcsame,andmech anism, substantially as described, to tuck the articles to be folded into the bites of the first and second and of the second and third of the trio of rolls, respectively, substantially as and for the purposes stated.

4. In combination with the slotted feedtable and the folding-rolls and folding-blades, the lateral rotary brushes, and means,substantially as described, for adjusting the same longitudinally, substantially as set forth.

5. r)Bhe combination, with the first pair of folding-rolls, of the vibrating knife K, the rotary smoothing-brushes having the bevel-gear C, the feathered shafts II, with a bevel-gear, and the adj ustable bracket provided with bearings for saidgears and brushes, together with mechanism, substantially as shown, for operating said brushes, rolls, and folding-knife, the construction and operation being substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

G. The combination of the slotted feed-table, the lateral brush-wheels, the rolls l 2 3, and rolls 4 5 G, at rightangles to the first-mentioned rolls, together with the respective foldingblades, and the mechanism for operating the saine, all combined, constructed, and operating substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto afiixed my signature this 14thv day of February, A. D. 1883.

CYRUS CHAMBERS, JR.

lVitncsses:

CURTIS Iaxsox, NA'rnL. E. JANNEY.

IOO 

